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Despite the many books on preaching, bad homiletical models of expository preaching still exist. They come from various sources and are influenced by a variety of factors. Often it is not the model itself that is at fault, but the use made of it. They include:
1. The Puritans
With ...
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Dr. Peter Jones is the director of truthXchange, a ministry devoted to equipping the church to combat the rising tide of neopaganism in Western culture. He is also scholar in residence and adjunct professor of practical theology at Westminster Seminary California, and he has also taught at several other seminaries and colleges. Dr. Jones is the author of several books including The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, Spirit Wars, and Stolen Identity: The Conspiracy to Reinvent Jesus.
Dr. Jones addressed us on the topic of A Gnostic Gospel. Gnostacism is both an ancient heresy that the church faced and defeated, but it is also associated with the revival of a new paganism that seeks the obselesence of Christianity. Yet paganism has always been fought both within and without the church. It is not uncommon that what happens in the church is a reflection of what is happening in the church at large.
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Dr. Sproul's message was entitled Good Advice or Good News? -- and in particular, Dr. Sproul's message dealt with the relationship between law and gospel. The text of Dr. Sproul's message was Mark 10:17-22. This rich young man of which we hear came to Jesus like a man on a mission -- seeking to receive an answer from Jesus as quickly and directly as possible. Yet he received quite a different answer than that of the one the Phillipean jailor received (Acts 16:30-31).Keep Reading

The Q&A session was moderated by Dr. R.C. Sproul with Dr. Horton and Dr. MacArthur serving as the participants.
With regard the assurance of salvation – Calvin said that all struggle. You, John, suggested that a lack of assurance might be related to a lack of looking forward to heaven. MACARTHUR: Yes, all doubt. But Peter was saying that the testing of faith generates assurance, because then you know that your faith is real. Tested faith grows stronger and strengthens assurance.
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INTRODUCTION
Dr. MacArthur began by noting that there are numerous best-selling books out there on "finding God" (The Secret, The Shack, etc.). The common story line is that we are sufficiently powerful to create reality. If we visualize our succeeding at whatever goal we set, it will happen. We are in charge of providence. We can rearrange the universe.
In a vast religious ponzi scheme (that makes the ones at the top of the pile filthy rich), there are many participants. MacArthur listed a dozen names (Robert Schuler, Benny Hinn, Kenny Copeland, etc.) and movements which play on this theme -- Jesus is a force waiting to be activated -- by you, knowing what you want.
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The title of Dr. Horton's message was The Church Cries "Uncle" ("Sam" That Is). Horton opened by noting that the Conference title was not the one the speakers would have wanted. It is unfortunate that a Confernce must be entitled "Christless Christianity." Many are concerned about the church in America today. Our own missionaries are often in need of evangelism themselves.
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Countless churches are preaching a message that has little if anything to do with the biblical gospel. This evening and tomorrow, Ligonier Ministries is hosting our West Coast Conference at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California, in order to help the church address this pressing problem. Michael Horton, John MacArthur, Peter Jones, and R.C. Sproul have come together to examine many of the popular misunderstandings of the gospel in our day and seek to equip evangelicals to stand firm with the good news delivered once for all to the saints.
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In this excerpt from John Gerstner's Primitive Theology, Dr. Gerstner uses a fictional dialog between Christian and Inquirer to provide a primer on the Christian doctrine of the atonement. Over the coming days we will highlight this unique resource.
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CHRISTIAN: The atonement may well be the most important doctrine in the Christian religion.
INQUIRER: Why do you say that?
C: I should qualify that statement. The atonement is the most important doctrine for us. In and of itself, it would not be as important as the doctrines of the Trinity and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I: What do you mean, “for us”?
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While perusing the internet recently, I happened across a discussion among some Reformed Christians about the concept of geocentrism — the belief that the earth is stationary and at the center of the universe. Some of the participants in the discussion were arguing that the Bible teaches geocentrism. Others were arguing that science has definitively proven that the earth circles the sun, therefore the Bible must not be teaching geocentrism. As I read through the discussion, it became clear that several participants saw the entire debate as a conflict between Scripture and science. As they saw it, those who reject geocentrism are rejecting the Bible. In another similar online discussion, a Reformed participant confessed that if he were ever convinced that the universe was billions of years old, he would renounce Christianity because such a discovery would mean the Bible is untrue.
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Ligonier Ministries' 2010 West Coast Conference kicks off this Friday at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., with R.C. Sproul, Michael Horton, Peter Jones, and John MacArthur. Can't attend in person? Now you can watch a free live stream of the conference. Please spread the word to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors -- to those inside and outside the Church. It is a privilege to hear God's servants bring His Word.
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"Who Are These Guys?"
That was the question the teenage Daniel R. Hyde posed to his father when he first encountered "Reformed" believers. With their unique beliefs and practices, these Christians didn't fit any of the categories in his mind. Not so many years later, Hyde is now Rev. Daniel R. Hyde, a pastor of a Reformed church. Recognizing that many are on the outside looking in, just as he once was, he wrote Welcome to a Reformed Church: A Guide for Pilgrims to explain what Reformed churches believe and why they structure their life and worship as they do.
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